Death can kiss my -
by xgirlghost
Summary: A collection of one-shot companion pieces for "Fragility", so if you haven't read that yet, this probably won't make much sense. First bit is Elise's POV between chapters 5 and 6. M for language.
1. Adventures in Insomnia

[A/N:] Since I've decided to make a short series of one-shots related to "Fragility", they'll all go here. Please R&R!

This one's called "Adventures in Insomnia" and is Elise's POV between chapters 5 and 6.

* * *

Oh god. The blood's everywhere. He's pale as a sheet and fading fast.

I hold his fingers, careful to stay clear of his knuckles, "Stay awake Logan, C'mon, you can do it. Stay awake-"

He collapses back onto his pillow and closes his eyes.

"Logan? Guys, I need help!" Tears cloud my vision.

He's dying. Ohmygodhe'sdying.

"John, help me move him. There we go. Easy does it." Hank says.

Xavier follows them. I just try and stay outta the way.

I wrap my arms around myself – as if that helps anything – and close my eyes.

Logan's gonna die. He's gonna die and I can't help and he won't come back and I'll be alone and-

The sudden closeness of Ororo's voice damn near makes me jump out of my own skin "He'll be all right, don't worry." Until my eyes shoot open, I don't realize she has her arms wrapped around me. Don't feel it at all until she hugs me tightly.

"He's in good hands."

Her words are a little comforting, but I still want- _need_- to go downstairs and see him. The second Ororo lets go, I bolt for the nearest elevator. If the adrenaline rush hadn't numbed me, I prob'ly wouln'ta made it that far.

Despite having only slept for about four hours in the past forty-eight, I couldn't be more awake. My heart pounds in my ears and I'm half-tempted to run down the stairs until I need to use the elevator to reach the subbasement. The things run too damn slow. But the voice of reason says I know I'll regret it later.

"Move faster, dammit!" I yell, about to kick the elevator doors. As if obeying my threat, they open.

Before they're fully open, I'm already halfway down the hall. There's a trail of blood drops leading to the medlab. My hand's covered in more of it. My chest tightens. I feel dizzy. Have to stop, hold the wall.

I cough loud and hard. It feels like I snorted shards'a glass and 'm trying to get rid of 'em.

Hafta gasp for air when I'm done. Gasp and breathe heavy for a bit. I glare at the door like it's its fault for being so damn far away.

I'm doing this, dammit and I ain't about to let some stupid sick feelings stop me. Finally, I make it to the door. I press my hand to the scanner and the door opens.

Logan's on one of the beds. Xavier's using surgical glue on the wounds and Hank's wrapping up his other hand. John's grabbing stuff for them. The monitor's freaking out over Logan's vitals.

"Warning: Weak pulse. BP 58 over 46"

Shit! That's bad, that's real bad.

Please be okay. Please be okay. God, Buddha, Ra or whoever you are, if you exist you've sure as hell never listened to me before, but dammit please let him be okay.

Hank grabs IV bags full of blood and saline. He cleans off the inside of Logan's elbow. He pulls the cap off the needle and the room shifts.

"_Strap it down."_

_I struggle as hard as I can against the restraints. Can't let them hurt me aga-_

_Before I can finish the thought, one of the masked figures stabs my arm with a syringe full of enough paralytic to kill an elephant. My scream is muffled and painful from the breathing tube. I still feel everything as they dissect me like a frog. Can't struggle, can't scream, forced to watch._

_Another day, same place._

_Groggy as hell. Hate that feeling. Room spinning._

"_Administer the vector virus."_

"_Yes Dr. Creemin."_

_All of a sudden, I feel needles stabbing me. Some really fucking huge one goes into my thigh bone. Can't scream. All I can muster is a pathetic whimper. They use more and more. My whole body burns as my healing factor kicks into hyper-drive. Temperature rises, so does pain._

_Make it stop, please God make it stop._

_It won't. Every square inch of me's in agony and it's getting worse. They keep making it worse._

"_Elise."_

_The heart monitor lets everyone know I'm in pain. No one cares._

_Someone runs in, "Weapon X escaped! Bolt the doors!"_

"_Elise?"_

_Through the pain, I notice lingering on the man is an oddly familiar scent._

_My stomach twists. __**Too**__ familiar._

"_Nooo!" I howl._

"Elise? Elise, are you okay?" John asks.

I'm sitting on the floor shaking like I got Parkinson's. Breathing too fast. Heart pounding in my ears. "Huh? Oh. Yeah. 'M fine. H-how's Logan?"

"The bleeding's been halted and his blood pressure is returning to normal," Hank says. "The crisis has been averted. You may return to bed if you wish."

I don't. "I'm staying here."

Hank nods, pulls a chair by Logan's bed for me, and starts doing something on his tablet. Looks like he's drawing, maybe. Xavier says goodnight to everyone and leaves. John just stands by my chair.

"I'm fine, really. You can go to bed if you want."

He nods and kneels down to kiss me.

"Oh, could you bring me some books, though?" Because I really feel like shit and "The elevator and I had words earlier."

But mostly because I feel like shit and don't wanna get up again.

"Sure, any preference?"

"Anything but the medical dictionary," I groan.

He gives me a gentle smile and goes upstairs.

I rest my head in my arms on the side of the bed.

"Hank, how long's he gonna be out?"

"Difficult to say," He strokes his fur-covered chin. "A few hours at the least, but could be much longer. However, the good news is his vitals are improving rapidly."

I sigh, "Okay."

I watch Logan's chest move as he breathes. Stretching out from his back I see one of the biggest and most vibrant bruises I've ever seen. Though it seems his entire body is coated with them, including the one around his eye starting to turn green, and he's still so pale, he looks so peaceful. Well, at least not in pain or having nightmares. Which, by my estimation, is a step in the right direction.

I rest my face by his shoulder. As I think on it, I've done something sorta like this, over a century ago.

I was young, about six, and woke up from a nightmare. I found him sitting on the porch shaving away at a stick with a knife. He stopped what he was doing and looked up to see me tear-soaked and clutching a well-loved doll.

"_What's wrong, Lizzy?"_ He asked.

"_Had a bad dream,"_ I sniffled.

He didn't ask me what about; back then it was the same every time. My first distinct memory was of waking up to loud noises one night and toddling over to my mother's room, only to find my dad's, my mother's, and the gardener's (whom I found out later may have been Logan and my father) gory corpses on the floor. It took me many years to piece together what had happened, since Logan never talked about it and, I suspect, may have forgotten completely shortly after we left that house. I still have nightmares about it, occasionally.

"_C'mere," _he said and gestured.

I climbed up next to him and he pulled me into a warm, secure hug and stroked my curly auburn hair. Shortly thereafter, I'd fallen asleep curled up next to him.

Besides Logan's memories, I think the thing I most miss is being able to feel someone's warmth. Dulled or absent skin-pain I can totally deal with. But feeling like I'm trapped in glass, unable to feel most-all temperature or gentle touches is torture. You'd never know how important shoulder rubs and stuff are until you can't feel them.

Back to the present, John's here with a large stack of books. Hank appears to have left. Wonder where he went?

I hear John kiss me on the cheek so I turn around.

"Will these do?" he motions to the stack next to me.

"Yes, thank you."

He takes my hand and kisses it, "Anything for you, m'lady."

I smile back to him. "Oh, now I _know_ ya need rest," I tease.

What time is it, anyway? I glance at the clock. 2:38? Yeesh!

Smile gone, he's all seriousness now, "So do you. And our bed _has_ to be more comfortable than one of those chairs."

"I don't intend to sleep here. I'll come up at some point, okay?"

"Okay," he says. By his expression I know he'll hold me to that. "I love you. "

"Love ya, too."

He leaves, and I finish rereading "Macbeh", "A Tale of two Cities", "Much Ado about Nothing", and get about halfway through the collection of poems by Edgar Allen Poe. To be fair, I've read them so many times I really only skim the pages.

I get bored with reading and decide t' sit outside for a bit. When I open the door, Hank pokes his head out of his lab.

"I see you're still awake," he says.

"I could say the same."

"Heading off to bed?"

"No, but I ain't leaving the grounds so don't worry 'bout it."

"Are you going to come back down here?"

"Prob'ly," I say.

I do have my books down here. Plus, my phone's dead so I can't play Fruit Ninja an Angry Birds for a few more hours.

He nods and lets me do whatever it is I'm doing. Oh! I was gonna go outside for a bit. I hop in the elevator and press the button for ground floor.

Ugggh. Everything hurts! Maybe I shoulda just stayed put and kept reading. Remember, genius, hindsight is _always_ 20 freakin'20. Luckily, I have my 'scrips in my jacket pockets. I check the label. Been long'nough since I took it last so I take a dose out and try to swallow it.

So apparently dry mouth plus dry-swallowing equals pills sticking inside mouth and gagging. Okay. But why the fuck does it taste so bad?!

Doors open and I scoot over to the restroom to take a swig outta the sink. Manage to swallow the vile stuff and promptly start coughing.

Soon as I'm done, I blurt, "'Sugar-coated' my ass!"

You fucking dumbass. So. Glad. No one. Saw that.

I wander over to the back doors and slip out. The sky's still black and the stars're out, but just over the horizon is a bright red-orange streak. I sit on a stone bench for a few minutes to wait for the pain meds to start kicking in, and then I truck it over to the nearest patch of forest.

I take off my shoes and socks for a moment. Not that it does much for the sensation of the looming morning, but it just feels _right_.

A doe's eyes shine through the brush. She sees me, and quickly darts the other way. A distant bird sings a sad song, like he's mourning the night and lamenting the start of a new day. Dawn shines through the trees, creating a brilliant silhouette, contrasting fiery scarlet with soft and seductive black.

It seems like the light and darkness are forever at war. Morning is gaining ground, and will win this battle – for now. And then night will overtake it again when morning least expects it.

I look down to see a thin branch and some scattered feathers. An idea sparks so I quickly throw on my shoes and socks and gather them. I go back inside quick as I can without causing too much pain and find the old leather bootlaces I'd since replaced but haven't yet thrown away. I bend the branch to make a small loop and secure it with some of the lace. I make a design in the center with the rest of one and use the other to make strings to attach the feathers to. Proud of my handiwork, I go back to the subbasement.

Before I can sit back down, Logan stirs.

Excited, I nearly sing "Good morning, sleeping beauty."

Expecting to get a huff or some snide remark, I'm thrown off when he slurs so bad you'd think his tongue wasn't on right. "Hey 'Lise"

His pupils are dilated and he looks distant. Lo and behold, over on the counter is an empty vial of one of those magical narcotic -ines.

I smile at him. "Hank sure didn't skimp on the post-stitches narcotics. You, big brother, are stoned," I giggle.

He returns with an incredibly goofy grin, "R'lly?"

It's real hard not to laugh at him like this, but somehow I manage.

"Oh yes," I put a hand on his shoulder. "Big time, get some rest."

He looks confused, like he doesn't understand, "Why donchu?"

I hold in a sigh, "Can't, not one bit all night."

Kinda wish I could sleep. Wait. Sleep… Aha!

I put the dreamcatcher on his bed. "Oh, and I made this. Sweet dreams."

"G'night," he whispers as he drifts back to sleep. I kiss his forehead and leave for Hank's lab.

"Hey Hank, Logan's fine but he's stoned out of his brains," I say as I walk in. "Also, I'm bored."

He looks at the clock and turns back to me. "You _could_ go to sleep. It's nearly-"

"It's dawn. I checked."

I sit on one of the empty counters. He open his mouth as if he's about to say something, probably something about me sitting on the counter when there's a chair a few feet away. But he doesn't. He just goes back to what he was doing.

So, so_ bored_. I swing my legs over the edge of the counter then start taping the beat to an obscure song on the counter, filling up the dead silence.

Oh, Idea! What if I come up with crazy shit and pretend to be totally serious about it. Hank's reactions are amusing sometimes. Peoples' reactions are usually amusing in general.

"Hey Hank, if, under normal conditions, Logan or I were to drink some crazy obscene amount of alcohol, would our blood be flammable?"

Hank stops what he's doing and cocks his head. After a second, he turns around.

His expression is absolutely priceless. Totally worth it. He hasn't even said a word yet and I'm already laughing hysterically - on the inside.

"That is entirely impossible," he says.

Faking denial the best I can, "Give me 3 reasons."

"For starters, alcohol itself is not flammable, only the vapors."

"So, what you're telling me is, if we boil it first we'll have a huge fireball?" I ask, stroking my chin.

By now, he seems to realize that I'm only messing around and relaxes his stance. I even manage a smirk out of him.

"That brings me to the second reason: if by 'normal conditions' you meant you had your healing factor, your body would have ways to counteract the alcohol before it made too much of a presence in your bloodstream. There simply wouldn't be a high enough concentration."

"But what if I didn't mean that?"

"Then you would die of alcohol poisoning...?"

I throw my hands up and grin, "great! All I need now is to find another 'a' thing to die from and I'll have a die-fecta. Is aluminum poisonous? Oh, wait, I know! Absinthe!" I laugh.

Hank quirks an eyebrow, "Your sleep deprivation is becoming more and more obvious. Colloquially, you're getting -"

I cut him off, giggling," Punchy? As in, someone spiked the punch?" I bust out laughing again.

He puts a hand on my shoulder, "the situation necessitates me to retrieve an item from the office of the medlab. Leaving the area would be contraindicated."

I blink, "Whoda what now?"

He sighs and looks me in the eye - hey, that rhymes! "Stay put."

He leaves me all alone and suddenly I decide to follow him. He's already looking for something in the office, reading papers and such.

I wander around the med lab and start talking. I don't care to whom. "At this point, I'm starting to think I gained a new super power: never. Sleeping. Ever! I mean, it's not like I really feel worse from not sleeping. Everything's freakin hilarious. Really the only bad part is how bored I am at weird hours. Though, last time I was this bored I ended up hiding Scott's costume and replacing it with a fluorescent pink one. That was funny, but I don't need a repeat."

I walk back and forth between the isles of glass cabinets. "Okay class, how will things end when you have a hyper feral who's now told not to do stuff? That's right, horribly. Being sick sucks."

A bottle of Nyquil catches my eye and I open the cabinet, take it out. "Maybe I should try and deal with this no-sleepy thing. Nyquil knocks you out, right? Okay, if you weigh more than - okay, well I weigh about 160-ish on days when I haven't had half my flesh ripped off by something unimaginable, so let's go with that."

I pour the appropriate dosage, "Bottoms - huh?!"

The medicine cup thingy is now a different medicine cup thingy and it has pills in it now!

"My dear, these over the counter remedies are doing more harm than good. I have formulated this-"

"Oh my god, it's the pill fairy!" I snort with laughter.

"I shall explain this further at a later date. For now, however, you are in dire need of some rest," he says, giving me a cup of water.

He starts leading me to the elevator. When the door closes I stare at the pills.

"You should take them now," he says.

They look icky. "Hank, these wouldn't happen to taste bad, would they?"

"No. Why?"

I swallow them. "No reason."

Scott is up and walking around on my floor. I bear hug him and say, "Good morning, sunshine! I'm goin'a bed. Just thought you should know."

Hank has his hand on my shoulder again and leads me to my room. When we get there, he wakes up John. I flop into bed.

"I need you to watch her. The sleeping pills I gave her should take effect in a few-"

THE END.

* * *

A/N:

...Seconds, apparently.

And for those who were wondering, yes. _That_ is why the trypanophobia.


	2. Politics

"Politics"

Ororo's POV during a portion of Chapter 6.

After Scott got back from picking up Moira, Professor Xavier called a meeting. We all sit around a table in the war room, though much less formal than our normal meetings.

"Last time we gathered, we agreed on the two-pronged attack Scott suggested," He says. "I have spoken with Logan on the matter and he has a list of names for recruits. Since he cannot be present himself, I will speak on his behalf."

John comes in a moment late and quietly takes his seat next to two empty ones.

"For cyber-reconnaissance, Logan has suggested Douglas."

"Is it wise to send a student?" Scott asks.

From the look of his face, he doesn't seem to think Logan's judgment should be taken seriously.

"Douglas will not be leaving the mansion. Despite losing his power to communicate directly with machines, he is a hacker in his own right."

"It's true," Kitty says. "He taught me some things a while back."

Kitty doesn't often offer her opinion in these meetings, but Douglas is a friend of hers. Like any good friend, she vouches for him.

"Shall we vote?" I suggest.

"That is an excellent idea, Ororo," Professor says.

"Thank you, Professor."

"All in favor of Douglas for cyber-reconnaissance? He will be supervised, of course."

John raises his hand, as does Kitty. I do as well. Rogue and Gambit raise their hands, Peter behind them. Xavier and Hank raise their hands, as does Jean. Scott reluctantly raises his.

"Then that's settled," Xavier says. "I will supervise Douglas in his duties."

"Next," he says. "Is the matter of leadership for the two teams. Logan has suggested Scott lead the Strike team and Ororo lead the Stealth team. Does anyone have any objections or alternatives?"

The room is silent.

"Very well. Scott, Ororo, do you accept leadership?"

"Yes sir," Scott says.

"And I as well."

"For second in command, Logan suggests Rogue and Kurt under Scott and Ororo, respectively. Any objections?"

A few people shake their heads, but the room is silent. This is going fairly quickly. I thought it would take much longer.

"Rogue, Kurt, do you accept these duties?"

"Yeah," Rogue says.

"Of course," says Kurt.

"Now for the rest of the teams, Logan has suggested a number of mutates whom everyone should already be aware of. The first is Illyana."

"Peter, are you okay with that?" I ask.

He looks a little reluctant, but nods and says "Da."

"Does anyone have an objection to adding Illyana to the strike team?"

Scott's brow furrows, "She's still a kid. Are we sure we want to just go with whatever Logan thinks is right now? He's sick and it's likely affecting his judgment."

"That is why I wanted the team to decide rather than let him have the reigns," Xavier says. "So far you all have chosen Logan's suggestions because they seem logical to you. If something seems illogical, you can vote against it."

"Besides, _I'm_ an X-man," Kitty says. "You're not complaining about me being in the room, after all."

"Let us vote on whether to let Illyana on the team."

Despite Scott's complaints, it's unanimous. As are the votes for Spiderman, Whiteout, Lupo, and Leash.

Deadpool, however, is another story completely.

"Isn't he like, REALLY crazy?" Kitty asks.

We agree that he's not at all stable and don't really know why Logan picked him. When we call it to a vote, John is the only person who raises his hand.

"John, why are you-" Jean asks

"He has a healing factor," John says plainly.

Hank and Jean look at each other and something clicks between them.

"For the sake of Logan and Elise, I change my vote," Hank says.

"As do I," I say. With what I saw last night, Logan and Elise are going to need all the help they can get, even if it isn't on a team.

"Let's just call a recount," Jean suggests.

"John, Hank, Xavier, Jean, Kitty, and I make just enough votes to pass.

So its official, Logan chose the teams, we just argued a long time about it.

I never did like parliamentary procedure much. Though orderly, it is very ineffectual.


	3. Legacy

[A/N:] Thanks to my beta Jeanniebird.

This has SO many spoilers for Fragility. Read that first! This serves as sort of an epilogue for that story.

One more one shot to come for Fragility: a 'What if' scenario.

Happy reading!

* * *

"Legacy"

The contents of the envelope Elise gives to Spiderman

NOW:

I hand the letters to Pete. I almost cry when they leave my hand. Somehow I manage to keep it together.

"If things go bad, can you give this to Xavier?" I ask. "He'll know what to do with it."

He looks so sincere when he says, "Of course."

~ooOoo~

TWO HOURS AGO:

I'm gonna die. Logan, too. And there ain't a damn thing anyone can do about it. I guess… I don't much wanna say goodbye to their faces. I kinda

want to say it after I'm gone.

'Cuz I'm a coward. Can't face my own death after over a century of living.

Maybe I can write letters, that way they can save them if they want. That way I don't have to say it to their faces.

I wish I could find the courage to say goodbye to Logan, at least.

Anyway, here goes nothing.

"John, could you hand me some paper and a pen so I can doodle or something?"

He hops out of bed and gets it, "Sure. Are you getting hungry? It's getting close to lunch."

"Yeah, I guess so."

He smiles, kisses me, and hands me the pen, paper, and a book so the pen won't go through the paper.

"Thanks," I say.

"No problem."

Soon as he shuts the door, I try to think how I'm gonna write these. I guess I should start with Xavier first.

_Dear Xavier,_

_ Thank you for teaching me, for helping me find strength when I was at my weakest. I know I made it difficult sometimes (okay, most of the time.) I always sorta saw you like the father I never had growing up. You and the rest of the people here were my family._

_When I came here, I finally found the place I felt I belonged. I could help people instead of just feeling sorry for myself all the time._

_Thank you for your guidance, even when I didn't want it. You saved my life that night I'd tried to bleed myself out, and for that I'm eternally grateful. I would have missed out on so much. Thank you for forcing me to re-forge a relationship with Logan instead of trying to let it go. It still hurts that to this day he can't remember what life was like before and I feel guilty now that I never told him a lot of things, but I think he's forgiven me already._

_Thank you for teaching me "Mutant" isn't a dirty word and to accept who I am. Even if I may be a little off-kilter sometimes. Like the time you let me substitute for Logan's survival class when he needed a vacation, I thought Scott was gonna blow a gasket when the kids and I were out dodging paintballs and exploding fruit. We all had a lot of fun._

_ Even though my time at the mansion was short, relative to dinosaur me, it was the best time of my life and I wish I'd have found you guys a long time ago._

_As a last note, could you hand the rest of these letters out to whom they're addressed?_

_ Thank you so much, for everything,_

_ Elizabeth "Elise" Hart_

I'm in tears by the time I finish it. Not just because my hand hurts so bad.

I take a deep breath and start on the next one.

_Dear Scott,_

_ I hope you know I only teased you in good fun. Well, most of the time. Even when I shot you with that paintball. And dyed your costume pink._

_ You were always a great leader, and I'm honored to have served under you. Logan was, too. We both respected you in a weird roundabout way. I only gave you a hard time because you were a friend (and you always left yourself so open for it)._

_ I wish you the best of luck in leading the team, and with Jean. She was real close with me and I swear to god if you hurt her I will come back and haunt you._

_ Just kidding, I guess. I don't think I can do that. But still._

_ You need to relax once in a while. In fact, go have a drink or two with John. He needs someone now._

_ Your pain-in-the-ass friend,_

_ Elise_

I feel a little better writing that, though the idea of dying and leaving everyone still hurts worse than the rest of me.

I guess I can't put off the most painful one, though. Gotta suck it up and do it before he gets back.

_Dear John,_

_ My Love – I wish you never had to get this letter. I wish I never had to leave your side. Please don't be sad, try to remember all the good times, and the support you'll have here._

_ Please take care of Molly. She was my baby and she'll need you when I'm not here. Even if it's just a shoulder to cry on._

_ You were always the sweetest person and by far my closest friend. Don't let anyone tell you different. You put up with me at my worst, and we stuck through for the best. I remember the day we met, you were stuttering so bad I couldn't understand you. And our wedding – your little cousin is so adorable. Please try to repair the relationship with your brother and father. You need someone, don't try to go through this alone._

_ I love you more than anything. Remember when you told me about that dream you had when I thought you'd died? I'll be safe with your mom, wherever she is. Don't worry about me. One day, and please don't make it too soon, we'll be together again. Somewhere, someday._

_ And if you can move on one day, please do. You deserve to be happy, even if it isn't with me._

_ Your crazy wife,_

_ Elise_

I'm bawling again, but I hafta keep going. I gotta.

_Dear Molly,_

_ I know it's hard. I hate that you have to go through this again. I wish I could be there to smother you in a hug and make it all better, but I can't heal this wound, no matter how much I want to._

_ You can have my locket if you want. It has a picture of my parents and my siblings, and me as a baby. I also put in a picture of my son, Jean-Louis. You remind me so much of him, the way you smile, your innocence… I always thought of you as my daughter, you know._

_ Don't ever worry about what the world has to say about you. You're strong, in more ways than one. You'll make a wonderful X-man one day, if you choose to be. You're so young but you're already a hero. I'm more proud of you than you'll ever know._

_ I wish I could be there to help you get ready for prom, graduation, a wedding maybe. Wherever I am, I'll be watching over you, though._

_ Be careful around boys. Don't listen to Jubilee about them; she's a bit of a bad influence in that realm. Talk to Kitty about that when you grow up a little more. But not too early._

_ One day, though, there'll be someone made just for you. Boy, girl, alien. It doesn't matter. Be who you are. Love who you want. Remember to live; treasure every moment._

_ I'll always love you, my little Doll,_

_ Elise_

I cry hard, and it just makes my chest and everything else shoot off agony. I breathe heavy for a moment after and force myself to continue.

_Dear Jean,_

_ I've always admired you and your kindness, I'm sure you knew that already, though. I know I was a huge pain in the ass about medicine and stuff, but that's only because I was afraid – nothing against you. Thank you for putting up with Logan and me so long._

_ On the subject of Logan, I don't know what to feel about that. Of course you'll miss him, but I guess don't feel like you missed out or feel bad just because he loved you. You have Scott and he's a great guy, too._

_ You have such wonderful self-control that I've always envied. God knows if I were a telepath I would abuse the hell out of that power, but I guess fate decided it didn't want to unleash __that__ on the world._

_ Please help John get through this. Maybe if you guys all get your powers back you can be telepath buddies or something. Can't you tell I really have no clue how that works?_

_ Anyway, I really got off track here, if there ever was a track._

_ Your friend,_

Elise

_PS- You know that bottle on Scott's side of the medicine cabinet that looks like shampoo? It isn't. Please warn him._

_Dear Ororo,_

_ Your name is so fitting, because you're gorgeous - in body and spirit. Thank you for being there for Logan and I when we needed it most. You're such great company and your presence made things better. I'm so thankful for having a friend like you._

_ We made a great team, not just on the field, but also messing around and grading papers. I enjoyed helping you do that. I'm a little too hyper and capricious to faithfully teach one subject, but I enjoyed helping grade and substitute where I was needed._

_ I'll miss tending the gardens with you. It was fun, and the talks we had were quite relaxing. You were like the sister I never had. I sometimes wish we could've grown up together so you could teach me to be a little more feminine and a little less feral._

_ It'll stop raining soon,_

_ Elise _

_Dear Rogue,_

_You were my first real friend here, and besides John, you probably understand me the best –being that you have a bit of me in your head now. I remember when you taught me volleyball- X-men style when I was really depressed. Thank you. I hadn't had that much fun in a very long time._

_You're always so bright and sunny. You taught me to love life again and I can't thank you enough._

_I guess this is the end of the 'skin twins'. You may not be able to touch people, but you still manage to touch their hearts. I may not be able to feel a touch, but you changed me anyway._

_ Keep smiling,_

_ Elise_

The pattern on the stationary's faded and blurred form my tears streaming down but I have just enough energy to write one last letter.

I hope.

_Dear Kitty,_

_You're wise beyond your years. More mature than me sometimes (though you're probably thinking that isn't hard). You've got a great head on your shoulders, remember to use it._

_Remember the lessons I've tried to teach you, but also know that you taught me a lot, too._

_ Keep looking up,_

_ Elise_

I fold up the letters and put them under my pillow. I'm so drained, emotionally especially, that all I can do is sob quietly.

John comes in with food, but he sets it on my dresser and comes to my side. He grabs a tissue and wipes the tears off my cheeks and chin.

"What's wrong?"

"Hold me, please," I ask.

He wraps me in his arms and gently holds me close.

~ooOoo~

DAYS FROM NOW:

I hop outta the elevator and make my way to the kitchen. I stop in the hallway and stare. I can't keep my chuckles quiet.

Oh my god. This is way better than I thought it'd be! Logan's gonna think this is hilarious whenever he gets done smoochin' on Ororo.

"Elise!" Scott yells, furious. His hair's a bright green.

"Hey look, we're twins!" I laugh.

He doesn't look amused.

THE END


End file.
